CW King Fishers Day Nurseries Limited

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children at this setting arrive eager to begin their day. They separate easily from parents and carers, rushing to join their friends and begin taking part in the exciting opportunities laid out as part of the setting's ambitious curriculum. Children show focus and concentration in their tasks. For example, children sit for a sustained amount of time drawing characters from the story of the 'Three Little Pigs'. They spend time carefully choosing the colours they would like each character to be and discussing their features.

Staff are positive role models for children. They facilitate play, helping children to develop friendships and understand the rules of play. Older children show care and concern for younger children as they join them to play outside together. They roll the ball to them, sharing in their delight as they catch it and want to do it all over again.

Children display high levels of confidence within the setting. Children happily lead the morning circle time, asking their friends which songs they would like to sing. This helps children to recognise that their voices are important within the setting. Support for children with special education needs and/or disabilities is good. Staff work closely with parents and other agencies involved in children's care and recognise the importance of putting in place timely referrals.

What does the early years setting do well and what does it need to do better?

• Leaders and managers are passionate about providing a warm and welcoming environment where children are happy and can thrive in their learning. They regularly evaluate how they can continue to develop the learning environment for children. A recent garden refurbishment has provided children with more outdoor learning opportunities, including the opportunity to grow their own plants and vegetables.
• Staff at the setting know the children well. They can articulate how they gather the starting points of children and how they use this information to plan for what it is children need to learn next. Children are well prepared for the next stage of their learning.
• Overall, the curriculum for communication and language is well delivered. Staff working with babies and younger children provide lots of opportunities for children to hear language through rhymes, stories and by providing narrative to their play. Older children have wide vocabularies. They use this to share their ideas and opinions with others. When children share stories with staff, they are quick to repeat or acknowledge what children are saying. However, they they miss some opportunities to engage in meaningful conversations with children, for example, by asking them questions that further their knowledge and understanding of what they are sharing.
• Children enjoy participating in lots of exciting and challenging activities. Using magnetic tiles, children problem solve which different tiles fit together to make the shape of a house. They laugh as they stack blocks too high on one side and the structure collapses. In the garden, children develop their own game using a hoop and different size balls. They take turns holding the hoop as others try to get the balls inside.
• Managers clearly identify training opportunities for staff. For example, all staff recently took part in behaviour management training. However, when children display unwanted behaviour there is, at present, not a consistent approach to how staff deal with this. As a result, children do not always fully understand what is expected of them.
• Staff support children to develop healthy lifestyles. Children understand the importance of washing their hands before eating and after using the toilet. Children enjoy fresh fruit daily for snack. They confidently use tongs to select oranges, pears and apples from the sharing platter on the table. Lunch is freshly prepared on site daily and children excitedly greet the chef as she brings in chicken, rice and salads. Staff sit and eat with children, encouraging them to try different foods and proving lots of praise and encouragement.
• Parents speak highly of the setting. They compliment the 'kind' and 'supportive' nature of staff and the 'patience and dedication' they show children. Parents feel that communication is a strength of the setting, and they say they are well informed of what their children are learning and how they can support their learning further at home.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• continue to develop children's communication and language skills further by engaging in meaningful conversations around children's interests
• develop consistent strategies for managing children's behaviour that help them to understand what is expected of them.